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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR TITLE CHASE HEATS UP IN 2013
by Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA - FEBRUARY 18, 2013... For the past five
seasons, Mike Spencer of Temecula has taken on all challengers and claimed the
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Championship. Making USAC history in the process,
Spencer, Bruce Bromme Jr., and the Ron Chaffin Motorsports Team will be back to
defend their crown. However, as this writing goes to press, more teams have
announced their intention to run the full schedule and challenge for the title.
This will make 2013 one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory.
Piloting Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake
Mini Storage, Spencer had one of his most dominant seasons to date. Winning
nine main events, including the Oval Nationals, Mike also had 13 fast time
awards, 5 heat race wins, 20 top-5 finishes, and led 167 main event laps. For
Chaffin, the 2012 USAC/CRA Championship was his sixth owner's title in nine years.
For the second straight season, Huntington Beach's Nic Faas
was second in the point chase. Returning behind the wheel of Mark Alexander's
silver #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Incorporated Spike, Faas
will be looking to break though with a championship year. Recently, the
Alexander Team announced that they will run a second car with "The
Demon" Damion Gardner of Concord at the helm. The 2005 Champion is back
from the Midwest and leads all drivers with 41 USAC/CRA main event victories.
Buena Park's Brody Roa had a solid campaign, earning Most
Improved Driver honors and finishing third in the standings. Driving the BR
Performance owned #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Spike, Roa scored his
first series victory on June 2nd at Yuma's Cocopah Speedway. Brody will have
his sights on more feature wins and running for the title in 2013.
"The Ripper" Rip Williams of Yorba Linda placed
fourth in the final standings. Piloting Jack Jory's famed black #3 John Jory
Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, the 2004 Champion continues to thrill his
many fans. "The Ripper" has over 100 main event wins with CRA, SCRA,
and USAC/CRA during his career and will be in the hunt for the championship.
Scoring fifth in the USAC/CRA point chase was Yorba Linda's Austin
Williams. Driving Jack Jory's #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike,
Williams claimed his second feature win at Santa Maria Speedway on June 16th.
The 2009 Rookie of the Year had a tough season and will be looking to challenge
for the crown.
In his first full season with USAC/CRA, Ryan Bernal of
Hollister claimed sixth in points. Racing Keith Ford's #73 King Racing Products
/ A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal won at Victorville and Calistoga's
opening night of the "Louie Vermeil Classic." The two-time Santa
Maria track champion will have his sights adding the 2013 title to his resume.
Finishing eighth in points was "The Cadillac" Cody
Williams of Yorba Linda. Piloting Jack Jory's #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA
Plastics Spike, Williams set a new 1-lap track record at Watsonville on August
10th. The former National Rookie of the Year will be looking to make a strong
bid for the USAC/CRA championship.
Riverside's "Dynamite" David Cardey placed ninth
in the final points. Driving Tom and Laurie Sertich's #92 Huntington Beach
Glass & Mirror / Victory Race Cars entry, Cardey and the Moose Racing Team
are planning to run the full schedule. The former California Lightning Sprint
Champion has nine feature wins to his credit and will be a threat to claim the
title.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda scored tenth in the point
standings. The pilot of the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 J.M. Mancha Realtors
/ Sierra Springs Water Maxim had championship aspirations until a Terre Haute
crash during Indiana Sprint Week ended his season. The former USAC Western
Midget Rookie of the Year has fully recovered and plans on battling for the
championship.
Another title contender is Campbell's Bud Kaeding. Driving
Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance
Bullet, Kaeding won last year's USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship. The
three-time USAC Silver Crown Champion has five series wins to his credit and is
a threat to win on any given night.
The tenth season for the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
will kickoff March 1st with the two day "Copper On Dirt" at Canyon
Speedway Park. The Peoria, Arizona facility will also host the USAC Western
Midgets, West Coast Shootout Late Models, and IMCA Modifieds. Advance tickets
are on sale and for more information, call 602-258-7228 or visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank
Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety,
Extreme Mufflers, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana
Racing Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your
company would like to become part of the series for the upcoming season, please
email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected].
Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVDs available for
purchase that feature the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. For more
information, call (805) 407-7229 or
visit www.loudpedalvideo.com.
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car
Series, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the
series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-CRA-Sprint-Car-Series/167535183297971)
or Twitter (www.twitter.com/#!/USAC_CRA).
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2013 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
March 1: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Copper On Dirt)
March 2: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Copper On Dirt)
March 9: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Sokola Shootout)
April 6: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
April 19: Cocopah Speedway - Yuma, AZ
April 20: Cocopah Speedway - Yuma, AZ
May 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
May 18: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
May 25: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Salute To Indy)
June 14: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
June 15: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Firecracker 30)
August 9: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
August 10: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA
August 17: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California
Racers Hall of Fame Night)
August 31: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie
Vermeil Classic)
September 1: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie
Vermeil Classic)
September 14: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn
Howard Classic)
October 5: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Southern
California Fair Race)
October 25: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame
Classic)
October 26: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame
Classic)
November 1: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval
Nationals)
November 2: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval
Nationals)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC National Sprints.
** = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Western Classic Racing
Series.
This schedule is subject to change.
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